The Home Office (pictured) leads the government’s efforts to address violence against women and girls (VAWG), but to date these efforts have not improved outcomes for the victims of these crimes or the safety of women and girls more widely, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
In a report, the NAO says that the Home Office is not leading an effective cross-government response. It has a limited understanding of the extent of resources devoted to addressing VAWG across government and the impact this is having. Without this knowledge, the Home Office cannot be confident that the government is doing the best it can to keep women and girls safe. The Labour Government has set an ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade. To meet this ambition the Home Office will need to lead a coordinated, whole-system response that addresses the causes of VAWG, the report says.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, says: “Government’s efforts to tackle violence against women and girls have not yet improved outcomes for the victims of these crimes. The lack of an effective, cross-government approach and a limited understanding of what works to help reduce these crimes, means the Home Office cannot be confident that government is doing the best it can to keep women and girls safe.
“The new government has set an ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade. A well-informed and effectively implemented cross-government response is needed, that addresses both the causes and the consequences of these crimes.”
The report concludes that the Home Office ‘needs to quickly establish the structures and incentives necessary to align all delivery partners behind the goal’. A ‘shared vision’ ought to include agreeing a common definition of VAWG across government. For the full, 60-page report visit the NAO website.
